White Chocolate
by snowblinded
Summary: "May I have a Kiss?" He looked up at the brunet in annoyance. "Why should I give you one?" Neji answered, "Because I asked politely."


Valentine's Day was supposed to be a day of romance and passion, reigniting old flames and taking time to appreciate their beloved. For Gaara though, this meant receiving sweets from those who thought they had a chance to be with him.

For whatever reason, his schoolmates found his pale skin, vibrant crimson hair, and lithe body to be an exotic appeal. They yearned for him and each and everyone was turned down. Gifts that were given were crushed, thrown out, or returned with not a single ounce of guilt for it. The redhead simply did not care about their feelings, yet they tried and tried and tried. Gaara was just about fed the fuck up about it. If it was possible, he'd call an school assembly and put on a goddamn Broadway production, singing about how much he hated every single follower and stalker he had, dancing to angry music about ripping their hearts out and eating it with a mint topping (for aroma). He'd put on a Rocky Horror Picture Show lingerie outfit, sit on a boy's lap, and tear his penis off if it meant that people would stop treating him as the star of the show and rather the normal teenager he was trying to be.

The exception to his hatred of gifts was on Valentine's Day. Gaara's sweet tooth dominated his personal feelings on the subject of being 'loved.' So every year, his peers tried to top each other with candies, cupcakes, cakes, desserts, anything to satiate the redhead's sugar craving. Gaara had come to appreciate Valentine's Day as the day that he could lay his tastebuds on any snack he wished. It was a shallow happiness though. He'd sit on the rooftop of the school, gobbling chocolate turtles and nibbling on rich eclairs, remembering that these were the gifts of horn dogs. None truly wanted to get to know him. They just wanted to get to know his body, or even worse, they _thought_ they knew Gaara. The phrase 'kindred spirit' had took on a new life that the redhead despised. It almost disgusted him how inhuman these people were.

He sighed into the cold winter air and tightened his scarf, pressing a chocolate dipped strawberry sprinkled in tiny almonds through his lips. It was quite nice, but still sat in the shadow of the slice of raspberry jellied cheesecake and the cherry filled coconut macaroon dipped in milk chocolate. Gaara glanced down at his left, noting the pile of empty cases, wrappers, and half-eatened goods that were probably paid more than their actual worth, including the hundred dollar tagged dark chocolate that supposedly had a certain type of old, fancy champagne infused with it. He hated dark chocolate to begin with, but the taste turned worse upon discovering the price tag his gifter had not removed. It was probably there on purpose to show off the guy's wealth. It was the pompous idea behind it that pissed him off. Gaara was not a gold digger, nor in need of a 'sugar daddy' if this was what the boy was implying. He stuffed the rest of the strawberry into his mouth and shut the case, putting it to his right to finish later. The sugar was starting to fight back, so he needed a brief rest. Upon deciding on stopping, the nearby door swung open. Gaara groaned immediately.

"Aww, is Cherry's tummy bothering her?" A haughty voice cooed from beside him.

Gaara growled, replying to his all well-known enemy-slash-acquaintnance, Neji Hyuuga, "Not as bad as your voice is, Tootsie."

He heard the boy softly chuckle, walking and sitting down against the wall in front of Gaara. Pearl eyes settled onto Gaara's sea blues, tossing a little smirk his way. The boy's long brown hair was casually tousled from the cold breeze. Parts were tucked into the white scarf snuggly wrapped around his long neck, but no matter the situation, Neji managed to look perfectly put together. Even his navy blue peacoat made the rusty vent behind him look classy. "I ensure you, Gaa_ra_," Neji started, purposely rolling the 'r' like the smooth-tongued jerk he was. "I'm _all_ man." His hand climbed out of his pocket and reached for the first button of his jacket, twisting the fat black button. "I can prove it if you wish."

Gaara watched the boy's brown eyebrow rise in suggestion and turned his head from the brunet, muttering, "It's not necessary. Save it for your fan girls." Really, Neji knew better to say something like that to Gaara. He wasn't interested in his body nor mind nor _anything _about the brunet.

"Why would I want to show off to them?" Neji asked about his suggestion.

The redhead snorted, explaining, "Considering half of them left you for me, you'll need your body to earn their love back."

Gaara wasn't lying either. He had truly taken most of Neji's fan girls without the intention to. Upon arriving to the school two years ago, their fascination spun out from the brunet man to the redhead, along with outing the closeted boys in school. Month after month, the number of girls sitting (or trying to sit) at Neji's lunch table dwindled, all trying to merge into Gaara's eating area. Eventually, Gaara chose to sit with the most obnoxious people he could as a means of keeping the girls (and boys) away. His new entourage included the blond ball of sunshine Naruto Uzumaki, the energizer bunny Rock Lee, and the firecracker Kiba Inuzaka. No one was able to pierce the force field to his delight.

Neji grinned, hand slipping back into his coat pocket. "They're of no concern. In fact, I should thank you for taking those women from me."

"Oh?" Gaara questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Mhm. They're too chatty for my taste."

"What makes you think I'm happy with them either?"

"Who said I thought you were happy?"

A silence took over before a tiny smile broke Gaara's face. Neji was always able to make the worst things sound charming if he put his mind to it. For a conceited dick, he was pretty sly. "You're a jerk, Neji."

"I think you made a Freudian slip, Cherry," the brunet boy said, pressing his arms to his body for warmth.

Gaara nodded, correcting himself with a little extra force from the 'Cherry' nickname. "Yeah, you're right. I meant 'bastard.'"

Neji smiled once more and pulled his hands out of his pockets. "I'm offended, Cherry, dear." He put his hands down onto the cold ground, scooting closer to Gaara until they were almost knee to knee cross-legged. His hands went back into his pockets, asking, "Is this how you treat the people you love?"

"Who said I loved you? The voices in your head?" Gaara replied, reaching to his side for another chocolate strawberry.

"But the voices in my head are just so damn smart. I can't help but take their word about your thoughts."

The strawberry rested on his dark jeans, taking a moment to think about Neji's words. 'About your thoughts.' It was clear Neji wasn't anything like the other assholes who thought they knew Gaara from exchanging a few sentences, but it bothered him still. Why did people always make assumptions of him? Unfortunately, Gaara found himself spitting out, "You don't know anything about my thoughts."

The satisfied smirk on Neji's face fell from the burst of animosity, yet built up as he laid his fingers over the strawberry Gaara tried to shove in his mouth. The fingers squeezed his to Gaara's embarrassment. Neji murmured, "I wouldn't mind knowing the thoughts behind the charcoal dust."

Gaara felt a rush of heat to his wind-burnt face. Surely Neji was not saying what he thought he was saying. No, of course not, he tried to remind himself. Everything that left Neji's mouth was a product of jokes, his way of poking fun at Gaara without offending. For Christ's sake, he called Gaara's eyeliner 'charcoal.' He mumbled a quiet 'whatever' and tried to eat the strawberry again, but Neji's hand was still resting on his. The brunet gently pushed his hand away from his mouth and plucked the strawberry from his fingers, placing it back into the plastic container.

"If you don't mind..." Neji began, hands rummaging through his pockets again. He pulled out a small red box that looked like a fat ring case with a tiny bow around it. "If you don't mind, I'd like to participate in the commoners' practice of Valentine's Day and give you something," he said. He held out the red box for Gaara who just stared at it.

Gaara, still convinced Neji was joking, asked, "Are you proposing to me?"

The brunet teenager laughed at his question, explaining, "Oh, Heaven's no. My uncle would have a heart attack if I became engaged at the ripe age of seventeen. And to a boy nonetheless? I'd put him in the hospital." His chuckle began to mellow and held the box out again. "It's just a little something from me. Consider it a token of appreciation."

"Appreciation?"

"Despite whisking my women from me, you have yet to rub it in my face or find a way to toss them back my way. And you're an interesting companion to speak with minus your inability to take a joke. You're a good opponent during our little debates and quite lovely on the eyes. You are truly a special being," Neji complimented him, words still sounding like a jest than reality. Quite lovely? He couldn't mean it.

Gaara took the box from him, unsure of Neji's intentions, but opened it. Inside were four little Hershey kisses, two in red foil, two in silver. That was it.

"That's it?" Gaara questioned. It was... almost disappointing. Mr. Hyuuga, the classiest guy in school with double, no, _triple_ the wit and charm of every man in the school combined, the ability to woo woman with as much as an eye-smile, and the wealth of a Arabian prince and _this_ was what Gaara received? A ring box with four Hershey kisses? He didn't even have the courtesy to give him the entire bag of Kisses, just four little pieces.

"You...you're kidding, right?" Gaara asked in utter disbelief.

Neji held the same smug smile, replying, "Nope. Just for you."

This was definitely a joke. This proved it beyond a reasonable doubt. Neji just liked to fuck with him and Gaara had to admit, he had him right there. The redhead was almost convinced that Neji was going to spew some love confession like everyone else and expect Gaara to welcome him with open arms. Goddamn, that joke. It was sort of funny. Sort of. It left him breathless. Not out of laughter, but in a 'punched in the gut' sort of way.

Gaara strained a laugh, confused about how he felt, and tried to joke, "This is pitiful, Neji. Your commoners have outdone you. The strawberries are lavish in comparison to these dollar store chocolates. Do you have an explanation for this feeble attempt of a Valentine's gift?"

"Simple gifts are as effective of relaying a message, if not more so," Neji softly answered. His eyes lingered on his Gaara's confused ones for a few seconds, then fell down to the box. "Open one, Gaara," he told the redhead.

Gaara gulped and replied, "Uhm, okay." He plucked a silver-foil one from the box and pulled at the tag, unraveling the foil to expose a small white chocolate kiss. He smiled, noting this was the first white chocolate snack he had received today. He thanked the brunet and popped it in his mouth, enjoying the sugary treat melt in his mouth in utter sweetness.

Neji remained quiet as he watched the redhead eat another one. As Gaara undid the third one and held it to his mouth, Neji interrupted. The brunet scooted closer, now knee to knee with him and asked with a smile, "May I have a Kiss?"

He looked up at the brunet in annoyance. It was _his_ gift, why was he asking for handouts? Or better yet, what was with the weird smile? "Why should I give you one?" He asked.

Neji answered, "Because I asked politely."

Gaara frowned and looked down at the box. There _was_ one left, so he could have that, after all, he _did_ ask politely. He looked back up at Neji whom still waited for an answer. "Oh... okay," he stammered to his displeasure. He just wasn't expecting it. If Neji wanted chocolate, he could have picked from the pile beside him. He wondered if this would just be another joke.

"Thanks," the brunet replied. His little smirk faded as he leaned towards Gaara.

The redhead froze in place, eyes locked onto the pearl ones hovering closer and closer to his. No, no, no. Another joke. It looked like Neji was trying to... kiss him? Gaara's eye trickled down to Neji's pouty lips and shot back up to his eyes. Eyelids slowly shut. He meant it. Oh, _fuck_ he meant it. Gaara felt a buzz of anxiety ride up his spine and shut his eyes, pretending it wasn't happening. It wasn't like his body was letting him move out of the way either. He was frozen in place.

He felt a sudden shot of warmth. A wet warmth. On his fingers? Gaara took a peek with one eye and spotted Neji. Those pink lips sat close to his, but its location was unexpectedly settled on his hands. He felt his tongue swipe the chocolate into his mouth before taking a lick of the melting chocolate from Gaara's fingertips. Jesus Christ, it just wasn't fair. His frozen nerves jerked back into motion as soon as Neji cocked a grin and winked. Bastard.

"Bastard!" He repeated out loud, shoving the brunet boy away from him.

Neji fell onto his side, sadistic smirk still perched on his face. Rather than getting up, he put his hands behind his head like a smooth jerk and asked, "What? Embarrassed?"

Gaara wanted to die. No, he wanted to kill Neji. No! He wanted to kill Neji so he could not repeat the situation to anyone else, then kill himself out of shame for believing Neji's false words as truths. Homicide-suicide. And if he managed to live through the attempt, he would call it a crime of passion. Yeesh. That title was a little close to home, but it would do. He would just need an alibi for his whereabouts in school...

A pale hand flickered back and forth in front of his face. "Hello? Earth to Cherry? Were not you enjoying your chocolate?" Neji's voice asked with the slightest hint of concern. Gaara doubted it. The asshole was having too much fun with him.

"You ruined the chocolate," Gaara mumbled, gently slapping the hand away.

"Shut up, drama queen," Neji answered, smiling as the redhead shot an acid look at him. He picked the box off his lap and held the box in front of Gaara, waiting for him to pick up the last Kiss. "You going to eat or just stare at it?"

The redhead rolled his eyes and plucked the little Kiss from the box just to appease the nuisance sitting across from him. The box sat back down onto Gaara's lap as he unwrapped the delectable drop and placed it in his mouth. Even with Neji acting like some brat, anger could not truly trickle into his feelings of the boy. Neji was honest, sometimes brutally so, but that was what made him okay he guessed. Gaara looked over to Neji who was blowing hot air and rubbing his hands together for warmth. The redhead shrugged and let the wonderful chocolate melt in his mouth without biting into it. It was the best way to enjoy chocolate after all.

He rolled the foil into a tiny ball and dropped it into the ring box, snapping it shut. A brief period of literal sweet bliss. Too bad Neji hadn't given him the whole bag of kisses.

As Gaara glanced back up to Neji to thank him again, he found soft eyes resting on his. It was rare expression, vacant of any ego, just the smallest smile in his way. The redhead sharply inhaled and shot his eyes to the side to the vents. "T-thank you," he tried to flatly say, stumbling over his words. It was unusual, uncomfortable for Neji to be so... sincere? He didn't know how to describe it.

"Gaara," he was called.

His blue eyes rolled back over to Neji, the heat of the boy's knees becoming hotter for some reason. Much like before, a hand slithered onto his own resting on his lap and squeezed tight. Before Gaara could look down, another hand ran up his neck, a thumb turning his head back to face Neji. The pale-eyed boy's smile grew as Gaara's face grew pink. This affection (what a poor choice of words) was beyond Gaara's comprehension. Neji teased him with a gift and with a fake kiss. What else was he going to prank Gaara with? This meant nothing to Neji. Gaara's hand tightened around Neji's unintentionally. He wasn't returning the favor, he was frustrated. Why was he going to this extent for a joke?

Neji seemed to ignore the tight grip of his hand and ran his thumb over the corner of Gaara's lips. He asked, "May I have a kiss?"

Gaara blinked. He was tempted to say 'huh?,' but he did not want to sound like a moron. Instead, he rolled his eyes and attempted to pull from Neji's touch. "You saw me eat the last one."

"Yes," Neji simply replied.

The redhead shook his head, face being softly tugged back in Neji's direction. "Why are you asking me for a Kiss then?"

"Because," Neji started. He leaned in closer, surprising Gaara as he finished, "I asked politely."

Without thought, he replied in Neji's soft tone, "But there is no..." He let the sentence trail off, realizing how close Neji was. He felt Neji's minty breath against his mouth, the warm fingers resting along his cold skin, and of course, those soft eyes gazing into his own, filled with emotion the redhead had never seen from the brunet. It was too different. He tried to turn his head away, but Neji turned it back.

Gaara couldn't take his eyes off his lips, watching them ask, "May I have a kiss?"

Maybe his mind was jumbled with everything that had happened in the past ten minutes. Maybe he was confused, unable to sort what was the joke and what was the truth, or maybe he had these feelings tucked so far away in his head that he never thought of formulating them into this current situation. Regardless, a word stumbled out of his mouth with little consideration for the consequences.

"Sure."

A glint of Neji's confidence shone through his eyes, quipping, "Took long enough," cutting off Gaara's response with a gentle kiss.

And so began their tradition of exchanging white chocolate kisses every Valentine's Day, only this time, Neji made sure to bring enough for both of them to share.


End file.
